EU pledges more financial assistance towards improving maternal health in Northern Ghana


The EU has renewed its commitment to provide financial assistance to reducing maternal mortality in deprived areas of the country. Despite the pledge, the EU said much work was required of stakeholders in health to addressing high maternal deaths at the local level. 

It said when people at the community level are made to understand the impact of maternal mortality, they will adapt to best practices and contribute in finding practical solutions to maternal health issues. 

The EU Ambassador to Ghana, His Excellency William Hanna said the bottom-line in the fight against maternal mortality will be to promote social inclusiveness at the district level.
 
His Excellency Hanna made the observation at a community peer review and planning durbar on Maternal Health Social Accountability Project, MEHAP, at Kandema in the Builsa North District of the Upper East Region.

Ghana Broadcasting Coporation's (GBC) Isaac Asare reports that the Presbyterian Health Services- North won a grant of 500 and forty six euros from the EU in 2013 to implement maternal health social accountability project in three selected districts of the Upper East Region. 

They are Builsa North, Binduri and Pusiga Districts. The 3-year project sought to contribute to improved public responsiveness to maternal health in the three project areas. 

The implementation of the project is in accordance with the “MDG Acceleration Framework’ backed by the Ghana Action Plan of the Health Ministry to reduce maternal mortality ratio. Last year, indicators from the three districts saw an improvement in maternal health services. 

Maternal mortality ratio was reduced from 100 and thirty to ninety eight per 100,000 live births in Bawku and Pusiga. This is also expected to reduce from 200 to 150 in the Builsa district by the end of next year. 

Builsa North recorded 4 deaths, Pusiga recorded 2 and Binduri district recorded zero deaths by the end of last year. 

There were appreciable improvement in the number of skilled delivery and referral of traditional birth attendance to health facilities.  

This was made possible through the facilitation of active community-health provider engagements in targeted areas coupled with sound government policies.
 
Despite the achievement, the EU believe that innovations are required to meeting the MDG targets this year. 

The durbar supported by the Christian Blind Mission of Germany provided a platform for the sharing of best practices on maternal by Community Health Committee. 

The rationale was to also strategize and evaluate the progress of work by the committee as a way to enhance community participation. Addressing the gathering, the Builsa North District Director of Health, Edmund Nyanwura, recounted the achievements made in the area of maternal mortality and mentioned lack of accommodation and qualified midwives as some of the bottlenecks to addressing maternal health.

The EU Ambassador to Ghana, His Excellency William Hanna said though Ghana was making giant strides in maternal and child health, education at the grassroot level was key to improving the quality of maternal health services. One of the surest ways, he noted, was to deepen stakeholder collaboration and strengthen the social accountability systems.
 
He said the EU will increase its budget support towards improving maternal health in deprived areas of Northern Ghana.

Meanwhile, His Excellency William Hanna and his delegation met with various stakeholders in the health sector of the district to brief them on the MEHAP.


GBC